


Diabolus Heredis

by MidnightNinja27



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: A lot of characters here are only mentioned, Adoption, Cannibalism, Ciel has PTSD, Dark Ciel Phantomhive, Demon Ciel Phantomhive, Demon Deals, F/M, Fallen Angel Lucifer, Fallen Angels are not Demons but still a part of Hell, Hannah sucks since she only made Ciel mostly demon, Hell, Human Ciel Phantomhive, Hunger Games Like Challenge, Is it really tho if they’re demons?, Light Smut, M/M, Mating Bond, Non-Human Humanoid Society, Possessive Sebastian Michaelis, Soulless Ciel Phantomhive, The rape is a mention from the past, The rape is not Sebaciel, Torture, Yandere Sebastian Michaelis, post season two, soul eating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:48:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightNinja27/pseuds/MidnightNinja27
Summary: AU: Post Season TwoThe Devil asked me how I knew my way around the Halls of Hell. I told him I didn't need a map for the darkness I knew so well.Lucifer has decided to hold a competition where seven demons will compete to become the Prince(ss) of Hell. At 145 years old, does Ciel have what it takes to become the Heir of Hell?The title is Latin for "The Devil's Heir".
Relationships: Adam/Eve, Adam/Lilith, Lilith/Lucifer, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	1. Prologue

Narrator's POV

Satan, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, the Devil, the Dragon, the Old Serpent, the Beast, the Adversary, the Morning Star, the Outcast Angel, Prince of Darkness, Father of Lies, what ever you want to call him, Lucifer answered to them all.

Out of his countless names given to him by the mortals in the realm above, there was only one name that no one used anymore and very few supernatural beings even remembered it much less used it.

"Samael." A voice in front of him said, taking the King of Hell out of his thoughts

Before the Fall, that had been his name, back in that simpler time when he had just been the Angel of Music, before the first humans had been made and just dinosaurs wandered his Father's creation.

"Yes, Lilith?" Lucifer asked, looking towards his mate and Queen

It had been around two hundred thousand years since they had met in Eden when they had taught each other invaluable things.

Lilith had been Adam's first wife, both made of the soil in God's holy land, when they had met by chance.

She had refused to be subservient to her first husband, refused to be mounted and bred like a mare, and when she had taken a walk around the orchards outlining the Garden of Eden she had found him watching.

Lucifer —then still Samael— had talked with her, pitying her situation, but still afraid of going against his father's wishes.

While he had taught her how to hide from her abusive husband and the angels trying to force her to him, she had unknowingly taught him free will.

Eventually, Adam had enough of trying to overpower his clever wife and asked God for a new one, one that would've submissive to him.

And Samael then made his choice, knowing with Eve now made from Adam's rib that Lilith would be killed, and helped her escape Eden.

But, by saving her he had doomed himself, when his treachery had been discovered his wings had been ripped off by his closest brothers —the three other archangels— and he had been tossed into the Earth below.

His landing had been so hard that it had left a trench in its wake —Lucifer believed humans had named it the 'Mariana Trench'—, and Heaven cleaned itself of two dozen more angels who had sympathized with Samael's 'betrayal'.

Unfortunately, all of the fallen angels couldn't leave Hell for long until the Day of Judgement, so Lucifer lured in humans and corrupted them into demons who could.

Now, there were ten thousand demons roaming between Hell and Earth.

"You're the one who called for me?" Lilith said, reminding him

Lucifer replied, "Oh, yes, sorry. I had an idea and wanted your opinion on the matter."

Lately, Lucifer had felt tired, bored and a bit lonely after ruling his domain for as long as he has.

He wanted someone to teach, someone to play games with, someone to entertain.

He wants a heir.

But, as much as he wanted one, Lucifer knew Lilith well enough to know she would refuse to be bred by him just as she had refused Adam so he wouldn't ask that of her.

But, he wanted to know if she was open to the idea of adoption.

The magenta-eyed fallen angel relayed that thought to his mate and was delighted to hear that she wouldn't mind that.

"Who were you thinking of making our heir?" Lilith asked, sitting on her throne beside his

Lucifer chuckled slightly, "That's the issue, I have no idea who is worthy of such a title."

"Why not host a competition?" Lilith replied

"Clarify, sweet flower." Lucifer requested, lacing his black-nailed fingers with her own

"Pick one demon from each sin to compete to be the heir, give them tasks to complete, games to challenge them, etcetera." Lilith explained, "To pick the original seven just pick a name of volunteers from a hat or something."

Lucifer smiled at her, stroking her chin with the palm of his free hand, "What ever would I do without you?"

Lilith turned her head slightly to kiss his palm, a smirk playing in her lavender eyes, "Crash and burn."...


	2. The Announcement

Narrator's POV

It had been a hundred and thirty-one years since they had left the Manor.

In the near century and a half, life had changed drastically, not just among the humans but also in their personal life as well.

Sebastian had stopped being a butler after the first ten years, coincidentally when the Victorian Era ended and the Edwardian Era began.

And while he technically was no longer Ciel's butler, some habits died hard.

He still prepared tea several times a day, baked sweets and carefully bathed and clothed the former Earl.

That last one was his favorite in particular, ever since the very first morning of their contract he loved dressing Ciel.

The red eyed demon adored dolling the younger up in whatever fashion trends the year called for, but nothing quite ever beat dressing him in Victorian fashion —especially the robin dress.

To Sebastian, the clothing of the modern era was lazy; gone were the garters, ribbons, laces and buttons that took around ten minutes to put on.

Now, one could be fully dressed in less than two minutes and be presentable to society.

Then again, Sebastian never truly cared about his own clothing but he hated how the elastics and zippers took that intimacy away from him.

Like now, he was dressing his darling Ciel not in fine, tailor-made clothing of an era long past but rather in massed produced clothing of a dark grey T-shirt with black overall shorts that had a skeletal ribs and pelvis printed on it.

Ciel's slender, smooth legs were not covered by silken stockings held in place by leather garters but by cotton knee-high socks the same gray as his shirt and held in place by that dreaded elastic within the sock.

On his tiny feet —barely a size 3.5 in Men's shoes, by American standards— were not leather shoes with metal buckles, but black, Converse high-top sneakers with black, cloth laces.

Internally sighing as he finished dressing the younger demon, Sebastian pressed a kiss to the inside of Ciel's left thigh and stood up from where he had been kneeling.

Ciel looked up at his lover, a playful smile covering his face as blue and lavender eyes stared into crimson.

While the butler uniform had been left behind with the rest of the fashion of the Victorian Era, Sebastian's fashion sense had had its highs and lows these past hundred and so years.

If he had to describe his mate's sense of fashion, he'd say Sebastian's style was somewhere between grunge and rocker.

Currently, the older demon wore a plain white T-shirt, ripped black jeans, black Dr. Martens and a black leather jacket that had several decals of red, magenta and brown eyes littering the back and the sleeves.

Ciel knew Sebastian's routine like the back of his hand so he barely even blinked as he was picked up and carried to their apartment's rather small kitchen with an adjoining dining room.

While the kitchen held all the modern amenities one might expect, none except the refrigerator and occasionally the freezer were ever used.

The only time Sebastian ever touched the dishwasher or the microwave was to clean it and mutter under his breathe about how lazy the modern era was.

Ciel smiled as he remembered the first time he had heard Sebastian compline about the modern era, back sometime in the 1970's while they had been in Canada, and he had jokingly called his older lover an 'old man'.

That had resulted in Sebastian sulking for several days about how he was still very young by demon standards at one thousand two hundred and some change.

Back in the present, Ciel found himself presented with a cup of Darjeeling tea —the cup not porcelain like it had been decades before but glass— as well as a plate of Black Forest crêpes.

Just like everything Sebastian had ever made —excluding the abominations made in the first few days of their contract—, the food was absolutely delicious.

That was another thing Ciel loved about the modern era as well as America, breakfast was no longer strictly savory as it had been in his youth.

His mate sat in the chair beside him and just watched him eat, not wanting to partake in any of it; Sebastian didn't like indulging in unnecessary things so his diet was strictly souls.

Another thing Sebastian didn't do was sleep, he'd lay in bed beside Ciel and hold the younger demon most of the night, but he spent those hours either on his phone or Ciel's laptop on minimum brightness.

Sebastian would review all of Ciel's emails, review Funtom's stock, stalk Funtom's websites and social media accounts, pay the bills for their apartment in order to give him a report after breakfast.

In any extra time he had during the night, Ciel knew Sebastian well enough to know he was either looking up recipe ideas or watching cat videos on silence.

So, on cue, once Ciel finished his meal, Sebastian spoke, “You have no emails of importance. Funtom’s stock has increased by point two percent. Additionally, Funtom’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are all advertising the new Halloween collection.”

“Anything else?” Ciel asked like he did everyday

“Oh yes, I was lurking on HellSpeaks and discovered something most unusual I think you’ll enjoy.” Sebastian answered

Ciel nodded, —HellSpeaks was a secret, password protected website demons used to contact each other— prompting him to continue.

Sebastian added, “The King is hosting a competition where a demon of each sin will be selected in order to have the opportunity to become his heir.”

It seemed the older demon was right, the former Earl was instantly interested.

“Will there be a sign-up?” Ciel asked

Sebastian nodded, “Yes, it and the selection are tomorrow afternoon.”...


	3. The Drawing

Narrator's POV

Contrary to popular belief, Hell runs cold.

Hell is not a realm of fire and brimstone, it resembles more of a cave.

In this cave of a realm, there is no light —save the few patches of flameglass, glass like rocks that emit light, littering the ceiling— and all the inhabitants need night vision to see anything beyond their own hands.

Luckily, every demon has the ability to see in the dark so it is very easy for them to wander around.

Additionally, Hell resembles a city surrounded by forest on every side with only a small patch in the center dedicated to the damned souls.

In that circle, Hell is exactly like how you would imagine.

But Ciel was not going anywhere near that circle today, no, he and his mate where going to the opposite side of Hell, where the city gradually became more forest, where Lucifer’s palace sat tall.

There was a sizable crowd already assembled, standing in front of them all were seven boxes labeled with each of the deadly sins.

Every demon belonged to one sin, the sin they were most drawn towards, the one they commit the most.

So, wanting to sign up for the chance to be picked, Ciel summoned himself a scrap of paper holding his name and dropped into the box labeled ‘Pride’.

If Sebastian were signing up, he’d place his name into ‘Wrath’’s box, but he had no interest in becoming prince.

***

An hour later, after everyone who wanted a try put their name in their sin’s box, a man appeared in the center of the room.

The man looked young, maybe early thirties but Ciel knew well that it was impossible to tell a demon’s age by looks alone.

But this man, he wasn’t a demon, his aura was similar but not at all the same.

“He must be a fallen angel.” Ciel deduced, then again ignoring the man

But, the man gathered everyone’s attention again by merely tapping his foot twice on the ground, making a staff appear in his hands.

The staff wasn’t truly a staff as Ciel had first assumed, it was more of a corseque with a obsidian blade on a silver rod.

“Good afternoon, everyone.” The fallen angel greeted, “I imagine you all know who I am but for those of you who are young or new I’ll introduce myself anyways, I’m Lucifer, King of Hell. Anyways, I know you guys don’t care about that so I’ll just get to the drawings.”

Reaching into the first box, which was Wrath’s box, he drew out the first name, “Ryuu.”

A male demon stepped forward, from looks alone he looked like he was around mid-twenties and of Asian descent.

Ryuu had long black hair tied back in a man-bun and bright hazel eyes, he wore a loose fitting red shirt and fitted black pants.

Seeing the first called, Lucifer than drew out of ‘Greed’, “Anake.”

A female demon stepped forward this time, she was Caucasian with snow white hairiest back in a french braid and ice blue eyes.

Anake wore olive green crop-top and blue jeans.

Next called upon was ‘Lust’, Lucifer calling upon, “Sirvart.”

Another female stepped forward, though this one was the opposite to Anake.

Where Anake resembled ice, Sirvart was all fire with her bright red hair and green eyes.

Sirvart wore a pale, almost white, pink sweater and grey leggings.

Next up was ‘Gluttony’, where “Lycus” was called upon.

Lycus was extremely tall, easily a head over Sebastian which probably put him around six foot six.

Additionally he was of African descent and his black hair was shaved close to his head.

His clothes were rather plain, just a simple black shirt and dark grey jeans, but all that did was make his golden eyes pop out even more.

About half way done with the drawings, Lucifer stuck his hand into Envy’s box and announced, “Cadmus.”

Next up, second to last, was ‘Sloth’.

“Briony.” Lucifer called out

This female demon was also of African descent, her long hair in thick braids that had strands of gold woven into the hair.

Briony wore a white tube top and a blue jeans.

Finally, was Pride.

Lucifer pulled out a scrap of paper and held it in his hand.

Ciel looked around the crowd, wondering how many other Pride demons were present, how much competition he had competing against him.

A second later, though it felt like an eternity, Lucifer read it aloud, “Ciel.”

The blunette blinked twice, three times and then walked forward to take his place as final competitor.

All eyes were on him as he walked towards the fallen angel.

As he stood by the other six demons, Lucifer spoke one last time to the crowd, “Here we have it, our seven potential princes. Next time you all here form me, Hell with have an heir.”

***

The next hour was a blur, the seven potentials given a tour of Lucifer’s palace and each shown to their room.

Before long, Ciel would finally unwind and was sat in his room with his mate nearby.

Ciel leaned against Sebastian, “I’m in.”

The older demon pressed a kiss to his forehead, “Indeed you are.”

Ciel tilted his head up to connect their lips.

After a few minutes of kissing, Ciel separated and asked, “So, what do you make of my competition.”

Sebastian was silent for a minute before replying, “I saw this with love, but you are, as usual, the physically weakest one here. Just do what you usually do and play smarter than your foes. I am forbidden from helping you so I can only offer my advice. Your biggest competition is the wrath demon, Ryuu, if ur comes to a fight do not try to overpower him, he is far stronger than you. You must be smart, be more clever than him.”

Ciel nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind for the test tomorrow.”...


	4. The Test of Lust

Narrator's POV

The following morning, Ciel and the other contestants were in the throne room.

Sitting on his throne, was Lucifer.

"There will be six challenges, each one will test a different skill and will result in one of you being eliminated until only one remains." The King of Hell informed, "The first challenge is lust. I will not be testing you by your sexual prowess or conquests, I will just ask a simple question. I will call you into my office one by one."

The devil lead the seven candidates towards a hallway close to the throne room where six chairs sat outside a door.

"Ryuu, come in first." Lucifer requested, said demon following him in

Ciel sat in the chair closest to the office like a naughty child waiting to be called into the principal's office.

He didn't have to wait long as he was the second demon called in.

Lucifer gestured to the seat across from him, waiting until Ciel sat to ask, "Imagine you are standing across the street from a church mid-mass, what is your first thought?"

That surprised the young demon, he had assumed that the question would be carnal in nature.

But then again, lust came in many forms, not just lust of the flesh, but bloodlust as well.

Ciel closed his heterochromatic eyes and imagined the churches of his youth: the enormous gothic buildings made of stone, the large stained glass windows and grand archways with biblical scenes carved into them.

He imagined the stones of the roofs slowly crumbling a bit year by year under the heavy weight until it finally gave in.

Ciel smiled as he imagined the roof falling mid-prayer, killing every last human worshiper.

The young demon opened his eyes, "I wish to see it collapse."

***

After all of the seven were questioned, Lucifer came out of the office.

"While the question I asked each of you was more of a personality test than a proper question, it was very informative in telling me each of your natures." Lucifer answered, "One of you gave me a boring answer, four of you mediocre answers, one of you a decent answer and one of you gave me a perfect answer."

The magenta-eyed fallen angel turned towards the pride demon, "And you, Ciel, gave the best answer; watching it collapse would be the best thing to happen to a church."

He then turned to the sloth demon staring back, "And you, Briony, gave the worst answer. While replacing all of the Bibles with satanic ones is funny, it is not satisfying enough to be considered a desire."

Lucifer snapped his fingers, instantly killing the losing demon, then, like nothing had happened, he said, "In case any of you were curious, Sirvart gave the second best answer: manipulating the pastor into becoming a willing slave would be quite amusing. The only reason seeing it collapse is superior is that it's ironic, you wouldn't be causing the demise —literally or morally— of the believers, God would. Anyways, the rest of you just wanted to cause a massacre, there's no art in that —no design. Since Ciel won, his reward is to have some personal time with me. So, Ciel, come with me and the rest of you are free for the rest of the day."

The six remaining contestants quickly did as told, leaving the corpse behind.

Within a few minutes, Ciel was sat at a small table in the center of the lavish gardens behind the palace.

Lucifer pouted himself and Ciel a glass of wine, "It's a 2010 Mailly L'Intemporelle Rosé Grand Cru to go to with some strawberry shortcake."

Ciel thanked him politely and had a sip of the wine: it tasted slightly of pear and raspberries which paired wonderfully with the dessert.

After a few minutes of pleasant silence, the Devil asked, "Tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell." Ciel shrugged, "I'm not that interesting, I'm afraid."

Lucifer chuckled, "I'm two hundred thousand years old and I'm yet to meet someone truly boring, share anything about yourself."

"Well, I'm going to be a hundred and forty-five come December and I 'celebrated' my hundred and thirty-first anniversary of becoming a demon in August." Ciel offered

The fallen angel did the math in his head, "You were thirteen when you were turned?"

"Yes." Ciel answered, "It was quite a unique circumstance regarding my turning but simply: five demons fought to the death for the chance to eat my soul, the one I was contracted to killed all but one and before he could kill her she pulled a 'if I can't have it no one can' and turned me."

The black-haired demon asked, "And I assume you are still technically contracted to that demon?"

"Yes, he's my mate now. He was very cross with me for the first half-decade but he got over it; apparently I'm enjoyable to travel with." Ciel clarified, "When will we be meeting the Queen?"

"Lilith is very busy running the kingdom while I host the competition." Lucifer answered

Ciel nodded, then enjoying a bite of the dessert, "This is very delicious, is it magically made?"

"No, I made it actually." The other male replied

Ciel was surprised by that, most demons turned their nose at the idea of doing something magic could do for them, "So you enjoy cooking?"

Lucifer shook his head, "No, I'm a novice, I don't really eat human substance often. This was simple enough to prepare for our chat."

After a few minutes more of pleasant silence, Lucifer broke it by speaking his thoughts, "You're different."

One of Ciel's navy blue eyebrows rose, "How so?"

"I imagined the winner of the first test would be bombarding me with questions about future challenges and how to win." Lucifer explained

The pride demon shrugged, "I contemplated asking such questions but I figured you wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. After all, if we knew the challenges then we can prepare for them and that wouldn't be any fun."

Lucifer placed his elbows on the table, Resting his chin on his hands, his smirk hidden by his hands: finally someone who understood the games.

Ciel continued, "It's a sentiment I understand; I love games and the harder it is to beat, the more satisfying the win is. In my human life I owned a cosmetic, confectionary and toy company that made custom games —well technically I still own the company but legally it belongs to my first cousin six times removed— but I designed all of the games."...


	5. The Monthly Ritual

Narrator's POV

After his conversation with the Devil, Ciel once more found himself in his room relaxing with his mate.

Or well, he had been relaxing until he received a email from his 'nephew' saying that a few members of the board were changing Funtom's stuffed animals from a handmade, luxury product to a mass produced one.

So, the demon got out his cellphone and called first cousin six times removed and once the human answered the phone he yelled, "ELIJAH FINN MIDFORD, YOU BETTER BE JOKING! WHEN YOUR FATHER TOLD ME YOU WERE READY TO TAKE THE REIGNS FOR THE COMPANY, I MADE SURE YOU WERE AWARE OF THE ONE ITTY BITTY ABSOLUTELY GINORMOUS RULE I PUT IN PLACE FOR YOU TO FOLLOW AND WHAT DO YOU DO? BREAK IT! ALL MAJOR DECISIONS ARE MINE TO MAKE...MINE! 

Not even giving the human a chance to defend himself, Ciel continued, "YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE COMPANY NOT THE ONE TRULY IN CHARGE AND IF YOU FORGET THAT AGAIN I WILL BE GOING TO YOUR PENTHOUSE IN LONDON AND BEATING YOU INTO A BLOODY PULP!"

Finally, the demon took a deep breath and calmly said, "Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, uncle." Elijah fearfully replied, "I'll cancel the plans right away."

Ciel hummed approvingly, "Good. Just remember, dear Elijah, your sister, Evangeline, is just as capable of running the company's day-to-day as you and I hold no qualms about having you 'disappear' or have a tragic 'accident' one day. Buh-bye."

Hanging up the phone, Ciel sink into bed and sighed, "They're all idiots, Seb."

Sebastian started rubbing his shoulders, "They are, darling, they are."

Ciel turned back to face him, "You're leaving something out."

"I am." Sebastian confirmed, "I left it out so you wouldn't be upset with me."

"Just say it, practically nothing can upset me more than that email did." Ciel mumbled

"I was going to say 'you can't expect much better from Elizabeth's descendants'." Sebastian informed, still massaging his mate

Ciel gave a half-moan, half-chuckle as a knot was massaged out of his back, "You'd be right."

"I loathe the fact that I can not assist you during the trials." Sebastian commented, changing the subject

Ciel scrolled through his phone as he laid flat, checking on all of Funtom's latest social media posts, "I know, but nothing's stopping you from spying for me, seeing if any of my remaining opponents have weaknesses for my to prey on."

Sebastian pressed a kiss in between Ciel's shoulder blades, "That's true, what did you learn from the king?"

"We had a pleasant conversation." Ciel answered

"And?" Sebastian asked, wanting more information

"That's it. We talked and had a few glasses of wine as well as a shortcake."

Sebastian blinked a few times, "You didn't investigate for an advantage?"

"Not verbally, no, that's what he would expect." Ciel answered, "Judging by the way he rated us for the first test I've discovered he detests boring things. So, I must be the most interesting competitor here."

That earned him a chuckle from the older demon, "Such a excellent tactic from a master strategist."

Ciel playfully kicked him, "Sometimes a simple strategy is best way to win a game."

***

The following morning, Ciel woke up in Sebastian's arms like usual.

He sat up and stretched a bit, cursing under his breath as he saw his nails were no longer black.

"Sebastian." Ciel yawned, knowing his lover was only pretending to be asleep

"Yes, my love?" Sebastian asked immediately, opening his almond-shaped eyes

"It's my time of the month." Ciel answered, his voice half defeated and half a groan

The older demon immediately got up and walked towards the vanity in the room, opening a drawer and picking up a bottle of matte black nail polish as well as nail polish primer —both of which were naturally Funtom brand and the name of the black was 'Demonic Shadows'.

Sebastian then expertly painted Ciel's colorless nails back to their black color.

Ciel sighed as Sebastian worked, cursing Hannah for being so magically weak.

When she had turned him into a demon, something had gone wrong and he spent two days of every month a soulless human.

Over the course of his demonic life, he had spent three thousand one hundred and forty six of those days a human; eight and a half years of his one hundred and thirty one years a demon were spent in a human body.

You never really got it until you became a demon that being human sucks.

One day he has amazing powers where he can do anything at all as long as he eats one soul every five years and the next he's a little human that requires three meals a day and lots of sleep.

And now that he was in the competition that put him in another disadvantage as demons sniff out weakness like they sniff out quality souls.

If he wasn’t smart he would lose not only the competition but his life as well...


	6. The Test of Gluttony

Narrator's POV

The second test began the next day.

Unfortunately for Ciel, he was still human and would remain so until midnight.

Which meant any task where demonic ability was needed would likely end with failure.

***

An hour or so later, Lucifer led the six remaining competitors into a room holding six humans.

The first human was a white male with red hair and was wearing a disheveled navy blue suit.

The second was a Asian woman with grey hair who was wearing a green sweater and jeans.

The third was a goth white woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties.

The fourth was a man of African descent that seemed to be in his early-thirties who a scarlet button-up shirt and black slacks.

The fifth was a middle eastern woman who wore a pink sweater, light washed jeans and a blue headscarf.

The final human was another white male but he was in a plaid flannel and jean overalls.

"Which of them have the best soul?"

Ciel examines each of the humans before him.

If he was still a demon, he could easily smell the souls and determine their quality but since he was human today he couldn't.

So, he would need to work smarter and determine the souls by sight alone.

"Lycus, you go first." Lucifer said after giving them a few minutes to think

The gluttony demon of African descent pointed to the man in flannel, "I believe his soul is the best. He reeks of struggle and hard work from his life as a farmer. But there is a darkness to him as he takes out his stress in his wife."

Lucifer hummed slightly in approval, "What do you think, Anake?"

The pale greed demon pointed to the Asian woman, "She has the best soul. The majority of her soul is rather bland, but the taste of her grief and desperation from being a mail-order bride gives her a sort of umami flavor. There's even a little kick of darkness from when she murdered her husband."

Like before, Lucifer have a hum and moved on, "And your opinion, Ryuu?"

The Asian wrath demon looked at the goth, "Her soul is bitter and angry, she feels betrayed and vengeful: I am practically drooling. "

"Cadmus, what about you?" Lucifer asked

Pointing at the red head human, the middle eastern envy demon said, "I like this one, his soul is delightfully wicked. He has killed several times, committed hundreds of crimes and found relish in the act."

Lucifer then turned to the lust demon, "You opinion, Sirvart?"

The blonde demon pointed to the middle eastern woman, "Her soul is pure, there is no better taste than the sweetness of innocence." 

"And finally, what do you think, Ciel?" Lucifer asked, turning to the blunette

Ciel bit his bottom lip, "I think this is a trick question. The title of 'best' soul is subjective as the flavor of any particular soul can be amazing to one demon and be mediocre to another."

"You're winning two for two, good job." The Devil congratulated with a chuckle, "The rest of you need to step up your game, think with your heads instead of your bellies."

The fallen angel then tapped his chin, "Now, how to determine the loser. Technically, all of you —sans Ciel— are you for elimination."

The other five contestants were nervous.

“I suppose it’s down to a matter of personal preference, then, whoever chose the soul I find boring.” Lucifer decoded, turning to Cadmus, “And by choosing the most wicked soul you showed how basic your taste is.”

Within seconds, Lucifer snapped and Cadmus exploded into chunks of flesh and bone.

Six was now down to five.

***

Like before, Ciel's prize was a private conversation with the Devil.

Unlike before where they had talked in the garden, this time they walked into the forest and sat in front of a waterfall.

"What's in your mind?" The magenta-eyed male asked

Ciel gave a small chuckle, "I can't help but wonder who you desire to win but I'm almost afraid to know."

Lucifer also chuckled, "I can't tell you that, but if it's any consolation I can assure you that you're not my least favorite."

"Who would that be?" Ciel asked, the beginnings of a smile hinted on his face

The other male gave another brief chuckle, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that either."

"Oh fine." Ciel sighed, "Look at me."

Lucifer did as asked, making eye contact with the bluenette.

"Blink three times rapidly if its Anake." Ciel requested

The fallen angel didn't blink.

"Ok, do it if it's Ryuu."

Once again, Lucifer didn't blink.

"Is it Lycus?"

Still no blink from the Devil.

"What about Sirvart?"

There was the three blinks.

"So you don't like Sirvart?" Ciel asked, "Why?"

"Yesterday she invited herself into the office nude, she attempted to seduce me into giving her hints for the remaining challenges." Lucifer informed

"And she somehow thought that'd work?"

"I thought it rather suicidal." Lucifer shrugged

"That's also true, why would you let her go unpunished?" Ciel questioned

Lucifer gave a wicked grin, “Oh I punished her, her back will be permanently scarred from the slashes of my corseque.”

"She deserves it after a stunt like that. Honestly, I’m glad to be here; even if I do not win the title of prince, it would be idiotic of me to not value your wisdom." Ciel replied

That suprised the devil, "You value my knowledge?"

"Of course, I would not squander the once-in-a-lifetime chance to study at your feet." Ciel countered, "Anyone with half a mind should know what an honor it would be to even have a tiny glimpse into the library within your brain."

"I'd be happy to teach you." Lucifer smiled, "Though it would be rather unfair of me to give you an advantage above the others."

Ciel shrugged, "I suppose. Personally I believe equality is a lie to appease the masses; there can be no strong without the weak, no elite without the common."

"You are right, but I still have no desire to cause a riot." Lucifer admitted

Ciel raised an eyebrow, "You are the King, if they dare defy you remind them who is in charge."


	7. A Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Rape mention, non-graphic. Skip first scene break to miss.

Narrator's POV

Ciel hummed a bit as he walked through the castle after his picnic with Lucifer.

The tune of the Imperial March left the blunette's closed lips as he walked through the labyrinth of hallways.

As he neared the hall to his own room, he heard a lot of commotion coming from the drawing room.

Curious, he peeked in and saw the other four potential heirs in the room messing with an antique polygraph machine.

"What are you all doing?" Ciel asked, walking into the room

“Oh, hey Ciel, we’re just playing truth or liar.” Anake answered

The young demon was instantly intrigued, “How do you play?”

Ryuu was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, “Basically someone gets hooked onto the polygraph and everyone else asks questions. If you tell the truth you get to ask the next person any question if you lie you don’t.”

As he talked, Sirvart connected him to the machine with cords.

“I’ll ask first.” She said, “How many times have you gotten your ass kicked?”

“Never.” Ryuu replied

Ciel gulped slightly, that wasn’t good odds for a potential fight.

“He’s a liar.” Lycus said

Ryuu sighed, “Once, by my sire.”

The Asian male didn’t elaborate and got up, “Let’s give him a turn.”

The blunette sat on the chair, his heart rate quickening.

Ciel leaned back against the chair, letting Ryuu attach the connectors to him.

"I wanna ask the first question." Ryuu said before turning to face the younger demon, "Fuck, marry, kill: Lucifer, Lilith, Cain."

The pride demon laughed slightly, "Well then, I guess I'd marry Lucifer; I haven't met either of the other two and seeing that I'm gay I'd fuck Cain and kill Lilith."

Lycus looked up from the machine, "He's telling the truth."

"I wanna ask the next question." Sirvart giggled, "Where did you loose your v-card."

Ciel's mismatched eyes widened a bit as he recalled the incident, his breath halting as he remembered being held down and violated with the handle of a branding iron by cultist.

Even over a century later, he could still smell the alcohol on the man's breath as he laughed at his pain, at the blood caused by the violation.

Remembering when and where he was, Ciel spoke, "Nothing interesting, it was in Paris."

"He's lying." Lycus interjected

Trembling slightly, the pride demon stood and ripped off the connectors, "I don't want to play this fucking game."

It took ever once of strength and resolve he had to continue the walk down the hall and get into his room before collapsing.

Sebastian immediately rushed to his aid, holding him close and asking what had happened.

Ciel didn't respond and just began hyperventilating as flashes of that month flashed in his mind.

Having dealt with Ciel's PTSD episodes before he followed the same thing he did every time.

First, he helped Ciel stand softky reminding him, "You are outside of the cage, Ciel."

Sebastian then picked his mate up and held him close, feeling Ciel's short, panicked breaths become longer and deeper as he realized that he was safe.

He stood still as Ciel relaxed in his hold, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

Once Ciel's breathing was steady enough that Sebastian was no longer worried about a potential asthma attack, he carried Ciel towards the bathroom and drew a bath.

Setting Ciel on the counter, Sebastian kneeled in front of him and asked, "I wish to bathe you, will you allow me to undress you?"

Normally, he didn't ask before stripping his mate, they were both familiar enough with their routine to know what was going on, but after these episodes Ciel was always in a fragile mental state snd assumed the worst whenever stripped after one —having mistaken his older mate for the man on one occasion, screaming and kicking at him.

The former Earl nodded, still trembling a bit, "Y-Yes."

Now having permission, Sebastian began undressing Ciel, "Do you remember my name?”

“Sebastian.” Ciel answered, “Sebastian Michaelis.”

Sebastian nodded, “And do you know where you are?"

"In Lucifer's Palace." Ciel replied, getting picked up and gently placed in the warm water

"Good, finally, do you remember the year?" Sebastian asked, pumping some shampoo into his hand to clean Ciel’s hair

The blunette nodded, leaning his head back, “It’s 2020.”

Sebastian began to lather the rose scented shampoo into Ciel’s hair, “Perfect. After your bath do you wish to rest?”

“Yes.” Ciel replied, closing his eyes

***

The following morning, Ciel immediately felt something on his hands and looked down, seeing black flakes.

Realizing that was his nail polish, Ciel looked at his nails and noticed they were back to black.

Finally, he was back to being a demon...


	8. The Test of Greed

Narrator's POV

A week of nothing passed until one afternoon, the five potential heirs were called into the throne room.

"Hello." Lucifer greeted, sat upon his throne

The five demons greeted him in return, waiting to be told what to do.

"I figured I might as well make this challenge a bit fun." The devil began, "So instead of using your brains for this test, you'll be using your skills in this scavenger hunt."

Ciel's blue eyebrow rose slightly, curious to whether the hunt would encompass just the palace or the entering for Hell.

"The rules are simple: whoever collects the most items win, whoever gets the least loses." Lucifer explained, "In the case of a tie, another object will be added to the list."

The fallen Angel then snapped, making a sheet of paper appear in their hands.

Ciel immediately began to read his, it read:

"1. The apple bitten by Adam and Eve that caused them to be banished from Eden. 

2\. The blade Cain used to commit fratricide. 

3\. The crown of thorns worn by Jesus when he was crucified. 

4\. Wood from Noah's Ark. 

5\. The first drop of sunlight.

6\. Lucifer's corseque."

In the fraction of a second it took each demon to read the list, they then ran out of the room and into Hell.

***

The blunette decided to look for the sixth item, Lucifer's corseque, since he would bet everyone else was looking for the apple since it was at the top of the list.

He also knew how precious that weapon was to the king, so Ciel doubted it was far.

So, once he was certain the others were gone, he circled back to the castle and began looking around there.

The pride demon searched all over the palace, searching every room he could and eventually he made his way to the garden.

Ciel looked upon all the flowers and trees and lo and behold, hidden among the branches of a birch tree was the silver corseque.

Grabbing it, the former Earl then began to leave the garden when he heard someone speak close by.

Turning around, Ciel saw a woman with lavender eyes and strawberry blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun.

She wore a mint green sweater over a white dress shirt, also wearing light washed blue jeans and white sneakers.

The mysterious woman pressed a black-tipped finger to her pink lips as if telling him to be quiet and then with her other hand pointed to a nearby cherry blossom tree.

There, he saw a glimmer and approached it.

It was a apple made of gold with two bites on it, revealing the corrupted black fruit hidden under the skin.

Looking back to where the woman had been standing, Ciel found her missing.

Knowing he likely wouldn't find anything else, the blunette then began to walk back towards the throne room with his spoils.

***

It didn't take long for the others to arrive.

Ryuu, the wrath demon, wore the crown of thorns upon his black haired head, holding a plank of wood in his arms.

Greed demon Anake held a blade made of carved animal bones that had a leather hilt.

Lycus, the gluttony demon, held a vial containing a golden drop.

And poor lust demon, Sirvart, —or luckily in everyone else's case— held nothing, unable to retrieve anything.

"It seems we have a tie." Lucifer commented as all the potential princes gathered around him, "And a definite loser."

All eyes looked to Sirvart, knowing she was a dead woman walking.

And just like that, Lucifer snapped his fingers.

The losing demon gasped out in pain, her green eyes wide as she was killed.

Her body crumpled to the floor, her blonde hair sprayed all over the tile.

Lucifer then brought his hands together, "Now, Ryuu and Ciel, it is time for our tie-breaker. I want you both to look around all of Hell and bring me the most precious thing you can find. Whoever brings the most valuable thing wins."

***

Ciel was deep in thought as he left the the throne room once again.

Lucifer wanted him to find something precious.

What could that possibly be? 

Demons could summon and conjure all the riches of the world with a mere snap.

Materialistic goods meant little to their kind when all they truly desired were the souls they ate.

Perhaps he had meant something personally valuable?

If so, then Ciel had very limited options.

To be exact, he had four things.

The first two were the Phantomhive signet and lordship rings.

The third was the wedding ring Sebastian had given him when they had become mates: a white gold ring with an amethyst, a sapphire and a ruby on it that had the words "My Lord, My Love, My Life" engraved on it.

The final one was a tiny painting he had.

It was one of the very few things that had survived the fire of the first manor.

The edges were burnt and it had drops of blood all over, but it was the only item Ciel had of his parents.

The painting featured his mother and father, himself snd Sebastian the dog all sat together in the manor.

Ciel was not willing to part with any of those items so either he needed another idea or would need to magically make a replica.

***

Going up to his bedroom in the palace, Ciel found Sebastian on their bed reading a book.

"How did the challenge go?" The older demon inquired, shutting the book

Ciel gave a shrug, "It's not over, I'm in the tie-breaker right now."

"Would you like my assistance?" The crimson-eyed demon asked

"You know you're not allowed to help me." The blunette replied

Sebastian looked at him, a slight smirk playing on his face, "When have the rules ever stopped you before? It's technically not cheating unless we are caught."

Ciel rolled his eyes, "Oh shut up. Where's my photo album?"

The former butler stood and opened their closet, pulling out a small box and opening it.

From that, he pulled out a large and thick album that was stuffed with photos taken over this past century and a half.

Ciel then flipped it to the very first page, seeing the painting he desired...


	9. The Queen

Narrator's POV

Ten dry minutes passed and soon both Ciel and Ryuu were walking into the throne room.

The wrath demon held a black velvet jewelry box, making the younger demon wonder what was within.

The same could be said for the Asian demon, wondering what was in the rather thin rectangular envelope the pride demon held.

The fallen angel greeted them both, “Ryuu, Ciel, I hope you brought something valuable. Ryuu, you present first.”

Facing the box’s opening towards the King of Hell, the hazel eyed demon opened it.

Both Lucifer and Ciel were greeted with the sight of the infamous Hope Diamond, the most cursed diamond in the world.

The price demon knew the gem was with three hundred and fifty million dollars and was responsible for dozens of deaths snd suicides.

The two potential princes had taken the interpretation of valuable in very different directions.

“Very interesting.” Lucifer said, picking up the necklace and weaving the chain around his black-tipped fingers

After a moment, the father of lies then placed the cursed object back in its box, then turning to Ciel, “What did you bring?”

Ciel pulled the the panting out of its envelope.

The blunette gulped as he handed the picture of his family over to the Devil.

Lucifer gently took it and stared at it, dragging his index finger along the largest blood splatter on the painting.

"This is what valuable truly means, Ryuu." Lucifer softly said, "Something living —pulsating— with emotion and memories, not the frivolous things humanity trifles itself with."

Ryuu frowned, Ciel had won every single challenge so either the blunette was that good or Lucifer had already chosen his successor.

***

After Ryuu left, Ciel was following Lucifer out to the garden.

Waiting for them at the small tea table was the woman who had pointed out where the apple had been.

“Ciel, meet my mate, Lilith.” Lucifer introduced

The Queen of Hell gave him a polite smile, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ciel.”

***

Ciel blinked, one moment his mind in the present with Lucifer snd Lilith and the next he was mentally six years old sitting in the garden with his mother.

Countess Rachel Phantomhive was just as sickly and prone to ills as her son.

But, she did not let that stop her from her hobby of gardening.

Unlike other noblewomen who were unlikely to perform any hard work, Rachel had forbidden the gardeners from touching her personal flowerbed except to weed it.

“Why do you take care of the flowers, mummy?” Ciel had asked

The blonde woman had smiled and kissed his forehead, “It is very important to have something to look forward to, baby. Even though all the silver roses are sleeping, we have to keep their home nice for them so when they come back in winter they are healthy.”

“Oh. Why do they only come out in winter?” The little boy asked

The smile never left her face, “Because no one can be here forever, one day when you are all grown up you will be Earl.”

“I do not want to be Earl, mummy, I want to own a toy store in London.” He replied

“Hopefully you won’t have to be Earl for a long, long time when mummy and daddy are very old.” Rachel replied, stroking his bangs out of his sapphire eyes, “That way you can be a toy maker while you wait your turn to be Earl. By then you would have had your fun, you and Lizzy will be married and maybe you will even have some babies of your own.”

Ciel blew out raspberries, “Girls are yucky, mummy.”

Rachel laughed a bit, “Maybe now, but you will like them better when you are bigger.”

***

Rachel had been wrong, Ciel never became attracted to women, just as her hopeful plan had been wrong.

But her lesson had stuck true: always have something to look forward to.

Currently, for him, that was becoming Prince.

What he really wanted fo know was what they were looking forward to.

Lilith had helped him win, why?

Did Lucifer know? Maybe he did not since she was acting like she had not helped him.

“It is an honor to meet you as well, your majesty.” Ciel replied, shaking her hand

Within a few minutes, they were all having tea together, but Ciel’s mind never stopped churning over his question...


End file.
